Lan Su Chinese Garden comes alive this summer with the sights and sounds of China through the Chinese Language and Cultural Immersion Programs initiated and organized by the Confucius Institute at Portland State University.

Visitors to Lan Su will enjoy a series of demonstrations and activities in the traditional arts of calligraphy, brush painting, seal carving and music. In addition, original Chinese paintings created by Suzhou artists will be on display and for sale through a partnership with the Han Collection.

On Aug 1, the day of the Chinese Qixi Festival, the Confucius Institute at Portland State University organized a series of cultural activities to let visitors participate in the festival and learn the background of Chinese Valentine's Day.

With a pot of Chinese tea, Gao Mingqiang, director of the Confucius Institute at Portland State University, shared the story of how the festival originated from the romantic legend of the two lovers Zhinu and Niulang, a weaver maid and cowherd. Visitors were also provided with booklets and materials to make Chinese seals after the talk.

Many visitors participated in the program and enjoyed the discussion on the contrast between Chinese Valentine's Day and its US counterpart.

This is but one of many summer cultural events organized by the institute. Every month, instructors from the Confucius Institute at Portland State University lead a Chinese Conversation Circle, which highlights a traditional Chinese ceremony or celebration. Visitors can pick up basic Mandarin words and phrases while learning about traditional Chinese culture.

Lan Su Chinese Garden is a walled Chinese garden enclosing a full city block, roughly 40,000 square feet, in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The garden is influenced by the famous classical gardens of Suzhou.

Confucius Institute at the Portland State University contributed to this story.

lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com